Partners Announce #GivingTuesday Will be December 3, 2013

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92nd Street Y, United Nations Foundation and Thousands of Partners Launch Second Annual #GivingTuesday to Mobilize a New Philanthropic Movement

New York, NY (PRWEB)June 26, 2013

The unique group of more than 2500 partners that made #GivingTuesday a success in 2012 today announced December 3, 2013 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States – as the date for the second annual #GivingTuesday, a day to mark the opening of the giving season and encourage individuals and organizations to find innovative ways to support the causes they care about most. The movement’s new website, designed for even better engagement and content sharing, launched today at http://www.givingtuesday.org.

Last year, more than 2500 organizations, corporations, individuals and foundations spanning all 50 U.S. states and several countries helped to inaugurate the first #GivingTuesday with volunteer projects, online fundraisers, and collections of goods to benefit a huge range of causes. We expect thousands of partners this year including US Airways, QVC, Ebay, and the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee.

#GivingTuesday focuses attention on the spirit of giving throughout the holiday season, shifting away from a focus on charitable giving that has traditionally spiked in the final days of the year. The inaugural #GivingTuesday in 2012 garnered national media attention, trended on social media, and showed that a broad-based partnership with grassroots support can tap into a popular desire to give back to our communities and support organizations working on a broad range of issues. The first annual #GivingTuesday proved that the holidays could be about both gift-giving and giving back. The collective efforts of partners, donors and advocates helped fuel an increase of 53% in online charitable giving on the first GivingTuesday as compared to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving the previous year, according to data processed by Blackbaud. The movement was recently recognized for its innovation in the charitable and nonprofit space with a prestigious Cannes Lion award.

The idea for #GivingTuesday came to life at 92nd Street Y as a way to focus attention on giving back following the kick-off to the holiday retail season with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A group of friends and partners, led by 92nd Street Y with the United Nations Foundation, joined with other recognized influencers from Edelman, Stanford University, Mashable, Facebook, and many other organizations to create a movement around a day dedicated to giving and volunteering.

“The extraordinary thing about #GivingTuesday is the energy and innovation we have seen throughout the philanthropic world,” said Henry Timms Deputy Executive Director at 92Y. “People are working together all over the country to create a new community around giving and launch a new holiday tradition rooted in values we all share. We are already seeing such incredible creativity emerging around this year’s projects.”

Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation said, “From our partners at the United Nations to grassroots supporters all over the globe, #GivingTuesday told a powerful story of the positive impact that is possible when people around the world to come together to give of their time, talents and resources. Efforts like this are part of a new generation of thinking about giving, philanthropy and collaboration. We look forward to learning, listening and cooperating as plans for #GivingTuesday 2013 come together."

This year #GivingTuesday will continue to celebrate how people can do more with their wallets than just shop – and that we can give as good as we get.

Partners are already coming together to pledge their support
As large and small businesses and organizations begin to plan their annual calendar of giving strategies, they are increasingly including #GivingTuesday in those plans in order to maximize their potential for fundraising during the upcoming holiday season. With the #GivingTuesday website re-launched today for 2013, partners are already signing up and enthusiastically pledging their support.

Lauren Moore, head of global Social Innovation at eBay Inc. stated, "At eBay Inc., our approach to charitable giving is grounded in what we do best—technology-enabled, people-centered commerce. Similar to 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday,' #GivingTuesday is a welcome addition to the holiday calendar, ensuring this season of celebration inspires the best of individual and community philanthropy throughout the holiday season."

Furthermore, Katie Hunt-Morr, Senior Manager, Values & Impact at Etsy, a new #GivingTuesday partner, stated, "As a values-led business, Etsy continuously strives to find new ways of enriching the communities around us by reimaging commerce. Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity for companies and consumers alike to contribute to the greater good during the holiday season."

Some initial partners and their initiatives include:

US AirwaysUS Airways will match 1,000 miles for every 5,000 miles donated, up to 25,000 miles donated to the Airline’s “Miles of Hope” charitable partners between November 15, National Philanthropy Day, and December 3, Giving Tuesday. Donated miles help "Miles of Hope" nonprofit partners, including the American Red Cross, Mercy Medical Airlift, Keep America Beautiful, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Fisher House Foundation, offset travel expenses and deliver emergency assistance. Dividend Miles members can visit usairways.com/donatemiles to donate miles.

QVCQVC offers customers all the joy, none of the craziness during the holidays. And this season, as a proud participant in the national #GivingTuesday campaign, QVC invites customers to join in and Give Joy to nonprofit organizations that support the success and wellness of women through the power of relationships. From #GivingTuesday, December 3, 2013 through January 3, 2014, shoppers will be invited to donate to any of QVC’s Give Joy beneficiaries via QVC.com, the QVC apps, or by phone, and QVC will match donations up to $150,000. Follow QVC on Facebook and Twitter or visit QVC.com and the QVC apps to learn more about how you can help us Give Joy this holiday season.

Maiden NationMaiden Nation empowers women through ethical fashion by working with designers of the moment to ethically source materials. Profits are reinvested into women’s entrepreneurship projects in order to create a marketplace where items are designed with both beauty and social consciousness in mind. For #GivingTuesday, Maiden Nation plans on donating an additional 10% of a partnership bracelet towards Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation that empowers American girls to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.

The NY/NJ Super Bowl Host CommitteeThe NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee (http://www.nynjsuperbowl.com) is harnessing the excitement of Super Bowl XLVIII to “Give Back” to the community in many ways. In the lead-up to the Game individuals can sign up to be one of more than 15,000 volunteers to serve as welcoming hosts. They can also help “Save a Life” by participating in the Super Community Blood Drive and receive a special wristband and the opportunity to win tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII. The Host Committee has also launched the NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation (http://www.snowflakeyouthfoundation.org) to raise critical funds to renovate and transform after-school facilities in the NY/NJ area. Find out how you can participate or donate on Giving Tuesday – and every day between now and February 2, 2014!

IndiegogoIndiegogo is the world's largest global crowdfunding platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project – creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. Indiegogo will offer #GivingTuesday partners an education series on how to leverage the power of crowdfunding to engage broader communities as stakeholders in bringing about change. Crowdfunding can be transformational to the social sector and Indiegogo wants to build the eco-system and arm campaigners with the tips and tools they need to be successful so that together the philanthropic sector can maximize its impact this #GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday Founders think big in 2013
After the success of #GivingTuesday in 2012, founders are hoping to double the number of partners participating this year and rally even more support around the “opening day of the giving season.”

The continued achievements of the movement this year is highly dependent on the unique set of partners that will show success is tangible when people come together and think big. #GivingTuesday celebrates giving by continuing a conversation about ways to give more, give smarter, and put personal philanthropy back into the kickoff of the holiday giving season.

About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 3, 2013. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world.

#GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

A team of recognized experts and influencers, initially convened by leaders of 92nd Street Y and supported by a core group of founding partners, originally spearheaded this effort. Founding partners in 2012 included United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VentureThree Capital. Leaders in philanthropy, social media, innovative giving, grassroots organizing, marketing and communications are providing counsel and resources to help build this movement.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit: